Happy Thanksgiving to all

We are in Lafayette, LA for Thanksgiving and we wish all of you a very happy and meaningful day of thanks for all the good that we share in this life. There is much to worry about, but we all have many wonderful people and loving memories in our lives that far outweight the worries.
After leaving Kennedy Space Center we drove across Florida to the western shore and started our trek around the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way we saw many beautiful sunsets like this one. It was nice to have the sun setting across water again. As westcoasters, that is how it is supposed to be.

We stayed at several state parks in FL, AL and LA. Many were right on some form of water and most had warning signs like this. Needless to say, we did not do much swimming or even walking around at night.

Our journey across to New Orleans was very different. As we approached the LA coastline we started seeing more and more piles of rubble, empty foundations and torn up neighborhoods. Many closed roads and many, many boarded up stores. The hurricanes that this area has suffered through over the past three years, namely, Katrina, Gustov and Ike, have been almost more than they can handle. The news stories that we have all seen have not done justice to the wide devestation that we saw along the way. Once we got to New Orleans we saw many closed stores but very little damage that had not been repaired. The problems seem to be outside the tourist areas. Lots of blue tarps on roofs, piles of storm debris still waiting to be picked up and a population that has declined by 70%. Big problems and not too many solutions in the works it seems.

We did enjoy New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is still very lively and LOUD! We did our part by lots of eating, spending some money and enjoying the street bands and entertainment.

We are on our way to pick up the Nachez Trace Parkway north to Jackson, MS where we will park the motorhome and fly home on Wednesday, Dec 3. We are looking forward to seeing everyone and enjoying the winter at home before resuming our journey in the spring. See you all soon.

After leaving